Page 21 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

Florrie didn’t need to ask as to the identity of the caller, Ed’s reaction told her everything she needed to know.

He silenced the phone and pushed it back into his pocket. Florrie looked on with concern, words evading her. He was going to have to speak to his dad before all hell blew up. A few moments later, a ping, heralding a voicemail, sounded from Ed’s back pocket. He raked his hands impatiently through his hair, catching her eye before quickly looking away. Now evidently wasn’t the time to pursue the matter; she got the feeling it wouldn’t go down well.

She was distracted by a flurry of activity over at the counter where Leah had been inundated with yet more customers. The young girl threw a concerned glance Florrie’s way. ‘I’d best go and help Leah,’ she said to Ed.

‘Yeah, ’course,’ he said, forcing a smile.

THIRTEEN

WEDNESDAY 6TH DECEMBER

Since the inception of The Happy Christmas Memory Project, Florrie had utilised any spare moments she had searching for festive ideas. She’d covertly booked tickets for an ice-skating session over at Middleton-le-Moors for the following afternoon and was looking forward to sharing the surprise with Ed. She wasn’t sure how her news would be received, but she was content in the knowledge that he’d be happy about the table reservation she’d made at The Golden Fleece for afterwards. The pub was serving hearty Christmas dinners and there was nothing Ed liked more than to get stuck into a roast with all the trimmings. It would no doubt be appreciated all the more if they needed warming up after their stint on the ice.

Florrie was grateful to her mum for enabling her to put her plans in action; Paula had been even more thrilled to cover for her when she’d shared the reason behind it.

Maggie and Bear had popped into the bookshop briefly the previous day on account of Bear wanting to work out how they’d get the new staircase into the shop. They’d declared themselves unable to attend, which hadn’t come as a surprise owing to Maggie’s condition, and with Bear reluctant to stray too far from his wife just in case she went into labour. In any event,the couple had a prior commitment with Maggie’s sister Sophia and her husband, and their brood of lively children. Bear, who was tall, built like a barn door, and bore more than a passing resemblance to a Viking with his bushy beard and unruly mop of jaw-length hair, hadn’t hidden his relief at having the perfect excuse not to put his lack of ability on the ice to the test. ‘I’m not exactly co-ordinated and light on my feet, or built for doing pirouettes,’ he’d joked. Maggie had followed up with, ‘Aye, but you attempting one would be so worth seeing.’ The four of them had laughed heartily at that.

As for sharing news of the sleigh ride at Danskelfe Castle with Jasmine, Florrie had spoken to the others and they’d all agreed not to mention the details to their friend until they were en route to the castle itself. ‘She’s got the day blocked out which is the main thing,’ Stella had said. Lark had followed up with, ‘You know what Jazz is like, she’ll fret about the cost or being treated like a “charity case” if she knows about it beforehand, even if it is a Christmas present. We really don’t want to take the joy out of it for her.’ They’d all agreed wholeheartedly with that.

Though Florrie had made a start with The Happy Christmas Memory Project, once Ed had mentioned the staircase and the tearoom, their thoughts seemed to have been filled with that. Even so, she made a mental note not to let progress on the project slide, which was why she’d also signed herself and Ed up for the annual Boxing Day Dip that took place in the sea in front of The Jolly Sailors. She’d placed a sponsorship form on the counter in the bookshop the previous day and they’d already managed to accrue an impressive number of sponsors, with customers promising to donate generously. The participants were to wear fancy dress, this year’s theme being “Pantomime Dame”, with the money raised going to the local community garden.

Ed had pulled a horrified face when Florrie had first announced it to him over breakfast. ‘Won’t it be freezing? I mean, the North Sea isn’t exactly known for its balmy temperature,’ he’d said, before taking a bite out of his toast and chewing hard. ‘Makes me shiver just thinking about it.’

Florrie had giggled. ‘Of course it’ll be freezing! But the idea isn’t to spend long in the water. You just make a quick dash for it, get yourself soaked, then run as fast as you can back to the Jolly where you can get changed and have a glass of brandy to help warm you through.’ It had been a few years since Florrie and her friends had participated in the Boxing Day Dip, and if her memory served her correctly, the water had been so cold it actually hurt. Not that she was going to share that with Ed.

‘I thought the idea was forhappymemories. Nothypothermiamemories.’ Ed had eyed her, taking another bite out of his toast, apparently unconvinced by her suggestion. It had made Florrie giggle some more.

‘You wuss! You’re just going to have to get into the spirit of it. Trust me, you’ll be laughing about it afterwards.’

He’d hurriedly swallowed his mouthful. ‘Yeah,yearsafterwards when the biting cold has been erased from my mind and the blood has defrosted in my veins and started pumping round my body again.’

‘Plus, I can’t wait to see you dressed up like a pantomime dame!’

‘You might look all sweet on the outside, but you have a wicked streak, Florrie Appleton.’ Though Ed had shaken his head, he hadn’t been able to help but laugh.

Florrie had taken the opportunity to pop into Nate’s upcycling shop in her lunchbreak the previous day and had been enthralled by the staircase that he’d kept propped up in hisstoreroom at the back of his shop. It was a great sweeping affair, which boasted a gentle curve and ornately carved wooden spindles. Since then, she hadn’t been able to get it out of her mind. And she’d had to agree with Ed, the perfect place for it would be the wall at the back right-hand side of the bookshop. It would make for a striking feature as it wound its way elegantly up to the first floor.

The next step was to arrange for Alex, who was also a qualified structural engineer, to call round at the bookshop with Charlie and Bear in attendance, too. It would give the three of them the opportunity to measure up and for Alex to gather all the information he needed to draw up his plans and prepare the planning application.

It was almost closing time. Florrie had let Leah head home early; the young girl had been buzzing with excitement at the prospect of a night out with her group of friends. She’d told Florrie they’d planned a trip to the cinema before finishing up at a pizza restaurant. The name Marty had featured regularly, a blush tinting Leah’s cheeks each time. Reading between the lines, Florrie guessed Marty was as keen on Leah as she was on him. The thought warmed her heart.

Ed had been upstairs for the last half hour or so, looking around the flat, scribbling down ideas for the layout; though Florrie loved the idea of a tearoom upstairs, she struggled to envisage the logistics of it because she couldn’t see beyond the current layout. ‘My brain just doesn’t work that way!’ she’d said by way of explanation. Ed, however, told her he could see it as clear as day in his mind’s eye, and from the exciting ideas he’d described, Florrie was more than happy to leave it to him to prepare the brief for Alex.

The shop was empty but for Florrie and Jilly Spencer, the customer she was serving, when the door opened, setting the bell jangling noisily. An icy blast of air whooshed into the shop as the door was held wide. Startled, Florrie and Jilly Spencer glanced across to see they’d been joined by Dodgy Dick. He wasted no time strutting about, his chest puffed out in his familiar self-important pose. His wife Wendy followed behind him in a cloud of cloying perfume, teetering on a pair of diamanté encrusted patent black heels. A feeling of unease spread through Florrie, while Gerty sat up in her bed, mistrust in her eyes.

‘Ugh! Not that infamous pair,’ Jilly Spencer muttered under her breath, pushing her purchases into her shopping bag and bidding Florrie a hasty goodbye. It would seem Dodgy Dick was growing more notorious by the day.

The businessman met Florrie’s eyes as he and Wendy swaggered towards the Christmas tree made of books. ‘Ooh, how verynovel,’ Wendy said mockingly, before breaking out into a shrieking cackle that put Florrie in mind of nails down a blackboard. ‘Did you hear that, Dick? I made a joke. “Novel”! Hah! D’you get it?Novel!’ She let rip with another round of her harsh laughter. Florrie winced.

‘Aye, very clever, love.’ He smirked at Florrie. ‘See, that’s the thing with my good lady wife, she’s been blessed with beauty as well as brains and a quick wit. Very sharp, she is, got a brilliant business one of these.’ He tapped his head. ‘It’s why we make such a formidable team.’

And that’s not the only reason.Florrie looked on, her discomfort growing.

‘Wendy here reckons this place would make a fantastic beauty salon. Isn’t that right, Wend?’ He picked up a book from the table, turning it over in his hand, throwing it down carelessly. Florrie felt herself bristle.

‘It is, Dick. I’ve been saying for a while this shabby little town needs bringing up to date. And I don’t mean to be funny, love, but this property is wasted as a bookshop. I mean, nobody’s interested in books or bookshops anymore. The smelly things are outdated, full of dusty, boring books. Who even bothers to read them? Folk are keen to move with the times. Books belong in the Dark Ages, if you ask me.’

The snort Florrie gave was as much a result of what she’d just heard as it was the older woman’s perfume. From the overpowering cloud that was filling the shop like a mist that had rolled in from the sea, Wendy had evidently sprayed with a heavy hand. Florrie was rewarded with a piercing stare from the businessman’s wife, who was apparently undeterred.

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